Life

Seize the M-Dot: 20 Reasons to Go Big This Year

What are you waiting for? Pull out that bucket list and prepare to make this year a finish line year.

There’s no better time than the present to take the leap from an IRONMAN 70.3 to a full-on IRONMAN race. Looking for that extra push? Take it from our Instagram followers, who share why they decided to take the leap and never look back.

"Started running in 2014, learned to swim and ride in 2015, and completed my first 70.3 in 2015. I wanted to keep progressing and will tackle #imcairns2016 in 2016!" - @triathkon

"I completed IRONMAN Canada in 2015, there is no better feeling than crossing that finish line. I am doing it again 2016 and aim to crush last years’ time. Being a part of something so special is life changing knowing you took your body past what you thought it was capable of and you have bragging rights for life." - @coolhand858

"I did it to motivate me and help me get through losing my partner in Afghanistan in May 2012. He was killed in action and my life was over but #ironman got me through and have just completed my 4th full #ironman here in #newzeland and am continuing with the aim of doing my 5th next year - thank you IRONMAN!" - @daviesthea

"I couldn't think of a good enough reason not to and the only way to stop thinking about doing it, was to do it. Loved it." - @alicimogordon

“I've dreamt about doing an Ironman since my older brother raced in Kona in 2003. Now 3 months postpartum I am training and more ready than ever to fulfill this dream, hold my daughter at the finish line and show her through my actions that "anything is possible"” - @ironmom.ca

"I lost my younger brother Andrew to suicide in 2012 and decided to tri the imPOSSIBLE feat of becoming an IRONMAN! When others in my family chose different distractions and ways of coping, I chose a sport that would challenge me both physically and mentally to a level only few can relate; IRONMAN Triathlon. 2016 is the year I become and International IRONMAN in Whistler, B.C. at IRONMAN Canada! Anything is Possible." - @j_hullo

"Accomplishing what most would assume is impossible. The human body can do amazing things when the brain is trained properly." - @bethsteph6

"The full 140.6 is a distance that once seemed impossible, but after completing more than a dozen marathons and finding more strength and endurance, gradually seemed possible. I was inspired most by my husband's own IRONMAN Wisconsin finish in 2013 that I decided to fit it in 2016." - @jenniferhubbartt

"To show my kids and the people around me I will choose to not be limited by my circumstances." - @serendipitously3

"I took on IRONMAN so I could prove to myself that sometimes your mentality is stronger than your body." - @aircamadapilot

"I didn't know if I COULD do it. That terrified me and motivated me in equal measure." - @susanhayden

"Because I was 150lbs overweight, began with 10 minutes on an elliptical, and after 8 years of hard work I'm going to earn the title IRONMAN in 2016!" - @gracenalani

"I will be fulfilling a life goal and pushing myself further than I ever have! I did a 70.3 race two years ago and never felt better after a race than that one. I typically get injured just running so triathlon training keeps me healthy! I also want bragging rights and the IRONMAN tattoo! (I also start to tear up when I think about crossing the finish line and hearing the words "you are an IRONMAN!" but we can keep that on the down low )" - @melaniejanisse

"Because I truly believe anything is possible! I learned how to swim in Jan. 2015 and I did my first 70.3 in Sept. 2015. Now, 140.6!" - @gabrielpeliz

"I signed up because my older brother @dfinn63 completed the Louisville IM and I know I can beat his time." - @chasefinn9

"After countless half marathons and marathons, I decided to set a new goal for myself! I probably should've started with something smaller like a sprint but everything is bigger in Texas! I'll be taking on my first 140.6 at #IMTX !#gobigorgohome" - @llnitsch

"My 18 year old son, then 13, saw a 140.6 sticker on a car in the carpool line and made the comment, "are you embarrassed that you have 26.2 on your car and that car has 140.6? I would be." Well as a single mom I had to show him I wasn't embarrassed and would one day have one of those stickers on my car. I finished my first ironman 3 years later at age 51 and have already signed up for my second. I started that journey to prove something to him but in the end I found belief in myself." - @ironpossum

"IRONMAN gives back as much as you give it. Give it your all and see those lights and hear your name being called. It is without doubt one of life's greatest moments. IM 3x finisher. Going after #4 in Tennessee 2016." - @maggimay27